Stamp mill or battery.



N0. 689,955. Patented Dec. 3|, l90l.

W. FOWLER &. J. D. EWEN. STAMP MILL 0R BATTERY.

(Application filed Sept. 10, 1901.)

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

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STAMP MILL OB BATTERY.

(Application filed Sept. 10, 1901.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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No. 689,955. Patented Dec. 3|, l90l. W. FOWLER & .1. B. EWEN.

STAMP MILL 0R, BATTERY.

(Application filed Sept. 10, 1901.)

(No M01101.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

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UNTTnD STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VALTER FOWLER AND JOHN DOUGLAS EWEN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO FRANK BUTTERVVORTH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STAMP MILL OR BATTERY.

SPECIFIQATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 689,955, dated December 31, 1901.

Application filed September 10, 1901. Serial No. 74,921. (No model.

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that we, WALTER FOWLER, engineer, residing at 7 Arvon road, Highbury, London, and JOHN DOUGLAS EWEN,engineer, residing at 53 Russell road, Kensington, London, England, subjects of His Majesty the King of Great Britain and Ireland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Stamp Mills or Batteries; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

It has heretofore been proposed to so construct and arrange stamp mills or batteries that the stamps thereof shall be positively operated in both directions in lieu of relying solely upon gravity for their descent, as in the well-known Californian mill. Stampmills of this class or type, in which the velocity of the stamps due to gravitation is accelerated, can of course be run at a much higher speed than it is possible to attain with stamps which act by gravity only; but owing to defects in the construction and arrangement of the operating-gear they have not been found to be of any practical use.

Our invention relates to stamp-mills of the class or type above referred to, and is chiefly designed to provide an improved construction and arrangement of operating-gear for imparting a positive downward impulse or throw to the stamps, whereby their velocity due to gravitation is accelerated and their momentum in consequence increased.

Our improved operating-gear will be found to be practical, efficient, and simple and can readily be applied to existing stamp mills or batteries.

In a stamp mill or battery embodying our invention each stamp is raised and the velocity of its fall due to gravity is accelerated by means of a vibrating lever operated from a crank-shaft and carrying a slide, which latter is suitably connected, as by links, with the stamp near its head. The function of this slide is to permit the vibrating lever (which of course oscillates through a constant arc) to complete its downstroke irrespective of the point at which impact of the stamp takes place. To this end the vibrating lever is so constructed and arranged that the slidepath shall always incline downward from the horizontal, such inclination being forty-five degrees, or thereabout, at the top of the upstroke of the lever and of course increasing during the downstroke. Oonsequen tly whenever impact of the stamp occurs (even should the stamp be packed to the full stroke) no material resistance will be offered to the completion of the downstroke of the lever after such impact has taken place, the slide then moving upward relatively to its guides as the lever continues its downstroke. At the same time notwithstanding the sliding connection between the links and the vibrating lever, above described, it will be found that when the lever is vibrated at a speed in excess of the velocity of the stamps, due to gravitation, the friction between the slide and its guides will be sufficient to cause the required positive downward impulse or throw to be imparted to the stamp. Toavoid shock or jar when the gear commences to pick up the weight of the stamp, we provide a spring or elastic buffer, which has to be compressed by the slide just before the latter reaches the limit of its down ward movement relatively to its guides, and provision is made for extending such limit in order to compensate for wear of the stampshoe and permit the same at all times to be capable of coming right down onto the die when the lever has reached the end of its downstroke.

Our invention further relates to improved means for effecting the necessary rotation of the stamp about its own axis, said means comprising a sleeve surrounding the stampstem and provided with slots inclined from the vertical, which are entered by studs or pins carried by said stems, so that reciprocation of the latter tends to turn the sleeve about its axis. By means of an arrangement of ratchet ring and pawls the sleeve can, however, only be rotated in one direction, and the device is preferably so arranged that the rise of the stamp-stem will partially rotate the sleeve on its axis, while on its descent the sleeve will be held against backward movement by the ratchet ring and pawls, and the stamp-stem will in consequence be caused to partially rotate on its axis as its studs or pins slide down the inclined slots of the now stationary sleeve.

In the annexed drawings, in which similar letters refer to like parts in all the figures, Figures 1 and 2 show in side elevation and edge View, respectively, a stamp-stem and operating-gear for the same constructed in accordance with our invention. Figs. 3 and A: are similar views of slightly-modified apparatus. Fig. 5 is a detail. Fig. 6 is a vertical section, on a larger scale, of the gear for turning the stem on its axis, said gear being also shown in elevation in Fig. 1. Fig. 7 is a section on line a: 00, Fig. 6. Fig. 8 is a View similar to the upper portion of Fig. 1, with parts broken away and parts in section.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a is a bracket fixed to the upper part of the framework b of the mill, and Ais alever carried thereby and vibrated on its pivot or fulcrum c by a pitman or connecting-rod d from a crank-shaft, such as 6, common to all the stamp-operating gears of the mill. One arm of the lever A is formed withaslot f, within which is arranged the slide B, pivotally connected by the links 0 with a free collar g, held between two fixed collars h on the stamp-stem D, so that the latter is free to rotate about its axis. The stamp-stem D reciprocates in the frameguides 17 in the usual manner. In the drawings the vibrating lever A is shown at the end of its downstroke and the slide B at the lower end of its path, the stamp-shoe being assumed to be resting on the die. The line of the slidepath (here the line of the guide-slot f) when the lever A is at the top of its upstroke is indicated by the dot-and-dash line, and it will be seen that its downward inclination from the horizontal is forty-five degrees, or thereabont. Consequently whenever impact of I, the stamp takes place (even should the stamp be packed to the full stroke) the operatinggear still works freely, the slide B after impact of the stamp'moving upward relatively to the slot f as the lever A completes its downstroke. At the same time when the mill is run at normal speed the friction between the slide-block and slot will be sufficient to impart a downward impulse or throw to the stamp.

When the lever A picks up the weight of the stamp on commencing its upstroke, a spring or buffer is compressed by the slide B just before the latter reaches the limit of its downward movement relatively to the slotf, and shock or jar is thus avoided.

A convenient construction and arrangement of spring or buffer which permits the limit of the downward movement of the slide B relatively to the slot f to be extended to compensate for wear of the stamp-shoe, as before referred to, is illustrated in the detail, Fig. 5. 7c is a sleeve screwing through the end of the slotted arm of the lever A and fixed in the desired position by the lock-nut Z. From the slide 13 extends the rod m, which pivotally connected.

traverses the sleeve is, whereof the upper end is enlarged to receive the helical spring E. The upper end of the sleeve limits the downward movement of the slide B relatively to the slot f; but before the slide and sleeve can contact the spring must be first compressed, so that shock or jar is avoided. As the stampshoe wears the sleeve 7c is adjusted so as to permit said shoe to come right onto the die at the end of the downstroke of the lever A.

In the modification Figs. 3 and 4 the lever A is constructed with two tubular guides or lugsf in lieu of the slot f, and the slide B consists of a rod sliding freely in these guides, with which slide-rod the links 0 are n is a collar or stop adj ustably fixed on the slide-rod B by a set-screw 0, said collar by contacting with the top of the upper guide f limiting the downward movement of the slide relatively to its guides. Before, however, such contact can take place the spring E must be compressed, and shock or jar is thus avoided. Wear of the stampshoe is compensated for by adjusting the collarn so as to permit of the required additional descent of the slide. This apparatus acts in a precisely similar manner to that first described-z. e.,whenimpact of the stamp occurs the slide 13 moves upward relatively to its guides while the lever A is completing its downstroke, and when running at normal speed the friction between the slide-rod and its guides causes a positive downward impulse or throw to be given to the stamp. The

dot-and-dash line indicates the'inclination of the slide-rod B from the horizontal when the lever A is at the top of its upstroke.

We will now describe our improved turning-gear for rotating the stamp-stem about its axis, having reference to Figs. 1, 6, and 7. Fixed to the stamp-stem is a collar p, encircled by a sleeve q, having inclined slots 4" formed in opposite sides thereof, in which slots slide freely the pins or studs 5, projecting from and carried by the collar aforesaid. The base of the sleeve q seats on the flanged base of a ring 15, having ratchet-teeth formed around its upper edge, which enters the base of the sleeve. u. is a retaining-ring secured to the guide b by bolts passed through its lugs a. This retaining-ring, as clearly shown, holds down both the sleeve and the ratchet-ring; but while permitting the sleeve to rotate freely it so engages the ratchet-ring as to prevent rotationof the latter, as will be readily understood. Dependent within the sleeve from pivots c are the pawls w, which take into the teeth of the ratchet-ring 15. As the stamp rises the studs or pins 3 in sliding up the slots 1' turn the sleeve upon its axis, the

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pawls w riding over the teeth of the ratchet What we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In combination in a stamp-mill, a stampstem, a vibrating lever, a sliding member carried by the lever, a buffer acting upon the sliding member and guide means on the vibrating lever for the sliding member and in which the said sliding member moves freely, said buffer acting upon the sliding member only when the same is at or near the end of its movement on the vibrating lever and links connecting the sliding member with the stamp-stem, substantially as described.

2. In a stamp-mill, the combination of a stamp-stem, a vibratinglever, a sliding member carried thereby, said lever having guiding means for the sliding member, links connecting the sliding member with the stampmill and a spring or elastic bufier acting on the sliding member for relieving shock, said vibrating lever acting to place the guiding means forthe sliding member in difierent angular positions in relation to the direction of movement of the stamp-stem, substantially as described.

3. In a stamp-mill, the combination of a stamp-stem, a vibrating lever, a sliding member carried thereby, said lever having guiding means for the sliding member, links connecting the sliding member with the stamp: stem'and a spring or elastic buffer acting on the sliding member for relieving shock, said vibrating lever acting to place the guiding means for the sliding member in diiferent angular positions in relation to the direction of movement of the stamp-stem, said buffer being adjustable to compensate for wear, sub stantially as described.

4. In combination in a stamp-mill, a stampstem, a vibrating lever having the two tubular guides or lugs f f, a rod sliding freely in said guides and links 0 connecting the slide-bar with the stamp-stem, the axis of the said tubular guides being arranged on the lever to assume different angular positions in respect to the axis of the stamp-stem, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in the presence of two witnesses.

WVALTER FOWLER. JOHN DOUGLAS EWEN.

Witnesses:

A. E. ALEXANDER, II. W. KNOTT. 

